Saturday, March 24, 2012

City Closes Four Baseball Fields In Brooklyn Due To Elevated Lead Soil Levels

Extremely high levels of lead forced the city to close four ball fields in Brooklyn's Red Hook Park. Lead levels of between 64 to 2,080 parts per million we detected. Federal regulations set a 400 parts-per-million ceiling for lead levels in bare soil in children’s play areas.

The Parks Department says it is covering bare soil, reseeding parts of the outfield and adding clay to the infield. They have closed four , ball fields - 5, 6, 7 and 8 - for at least six weeks.

Brooklyn

Two weeks before the start of the Little League season, four baseball fields in Brooklyn have been temporarily closed because of elevated lead levels in the soil.

The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation said Friday that the four fields at Red Hook Park will be closed for six to eight weeks.

A department spokesman says 13 organizations including youth and adult leagues had permits to use the fields. She says the department will find other places for them to play.

The Parks Department says it will reseed parts of the outfields and add clay to the infields. The fields are near the site of a lead smelting plant that closed decades ago.

The city Health Department says the risk of lead exposure from the fields is small.